Saving Grace
by maggs.x3
Summary: Five years ago, Gabriella’s baby sister vanished. Now a detective, Gabriella, along with her new partner Troy, is on a mission to find the little girl she’d always kept on her mind.


**Saving Grace**

Summary: Five years ago, Gabriella's baby sister vanished. Now a detective, Gabriella, along with her new partner Troy, is on a mission to find the little girl she'd always kept on her mind.

Other Description: "I will find her, Troy, even if it kills me. She's my sister, she's my responsibility. I promised my mother on her deathbed that I would look out for her. It's my destiny. It's our destiny."

_I_ntroduction: _I_f _W_ishes _W_ere _H_orses, _B_eggars _W_ould _R_ide

As an old English proverb wants you to believe, there is no use in wishing, no hope for your wishes to come true. Rather, the better way to get what you want is through action- by doing what has to be done to achieve your goal. Perhaps there is no hope to believe that action will always get you what you want either. However, there is always a need to hope. A need to believe.

I have a need to believe.

I need to believe that my heaven-sent younger sister is still alive, still safe, still somewhere within the borders of the United States of America, in a place where she is well taken care of and where she is loved. Although I have high hopes for the latter of my beliefs, I know in my heart of hearts that she and I will once again be united. I know that we'll be the best of friends, that the seventeen-year age difference will not matter once I hold that child in my arms. I know that I'll love her as my own, love her as my mother would love her if she were alive.

I'll begin with the day that my happiness dwindled away. June 5th, 2008. Better known as the day when three major events took place in my life. First, it was the day that I graduated from high school. Second, it was the day my mother died of cancer. Third, it was the day that Grace vanished.

June 5th, 2008

4:00pm

_I sat wordlessly next to my mother's hospital bed, holding her hand tightly in mine. In two hours, I would be walking with the rest of my class to receive my diploma. They were all at home preparing for the ceremony. I wish I could have been doing the same. But the rest of my class wasn't dealing with a cancer-ridden mother who'd been given only hours to live. I wiped the tears from my eyes as my mother pulled my hand to her lips and brushed them against it softly. "I love you, Gabriella. I'm so proud of you, baby girl," she whispered. _

_I could barely speak through the lump that had formed in my throat. "I love you, too, Mama. I'm going to take good care of Grace, I promise. And I'm going to make sure that she knows that she had the greatest mother on the face of the Earth." _

_She smiled weakly and patted my hand as she spoke. "I know you will, Mija. I have faith in you." _

"_Thank you, Mama." I sniffled quietly as I leaned down and pressed my lips softly to her cheek. "It's okay for you to go, you know, Mama. Heaven is waiting for you." _

"_I love you," she whispered again. "I'll be watching over you." _

_I tried to be brave as I watched my mother speak the last words she would ever speak to me. "Goodbye, Mama." _

"_Goodbye, Mija." With those words, the monitor that had been tracking my mother's heartbeat gave a final thump and flat lined. _

5:45pm

_It had been almost two hours since my mother passed away, and I was sitting quietly with my class, preparing to walk across the stage. Principal Alderson had given me permission to miss the ceremony, but I'd politely declined the offer- it was not what my mother would have wanted. She would have been proud to see me receive my diploma and give my Valedictorian speech. So there I sat, with my best friend Taylor and her boyfriend Chad. They were holding me up, keeping my faith alive. _

_As Principal Alderson spoke to the crowd, I stood and walked to the sideline, where I waited for her to announce my speech. Finally, she introduced me and I walked up the stairs and to the podium. After clearing my throat, I leaned into the microphone. _

"_As many of you know, I lost my mother to cancer this afternoon," I began, swallowing hard, trying to delude the lump that was forming in my throat. This was hard, considering the gasps and looks of sympathy my fellow classmates and their families were giving me. A tear made its way down my cheek as I continued. "I wouldn't be standing here today if she hadn't encouraged me to continue living as though she were right here standing next to me. My mother was not only my mother. She was my role model. She taught me how to live. She taught me that no matter what, you can achieve anything you set your heart out to do. So today my heart is set on graduating from high school with my head held high. Sure, today will be difficult, but I know that I can do it. President Abraham Lincoln suffered not one, but two great losses before and during his presidency- he lost two out of four young sons, Edward and William. Young William, at only the age of eleven, died during President Lincoln's first term as president, but the loss wasn't enough to keep him from serving his country. I am going to follow his example right now and serve my fellow classmates." I took a deep breath and glanced up to see the faces of my peers, sullen and grave as they waited for me to continue my speech. "First, I would like to congratulate all of you on a job well done. Elementary school was only the beginning for us- a time when all we had to worry about was who the first person to get to the swing at the far end of the playground was going to be." I heard a few chuckles from the crowd, and I forced myself to smile. "Middle school proved to be a bit more challenging. We learned the ropes of life at that point- we formed cliques and started hanging out with new people we'd never thought we'd hang out with. High school was a big wake-up call for most of us- when we realized that our grades and devotion would be the ultimate factor in the equation of life. Today we sit here in celebration of the past four years of our lives. Today we will say goodbye to high school and close its door behind us. We will emerge into the unknown, the future which holds each and every one of our dreams. Today we will officially be released into the real world. While the very thought may be a scary one for many of us, we each have the power to overcome anything that is thrown our way. Tomorrow will be the beginning of a new life for all of us, and I would just like to encourage you all on your journies, wherever you may be headed. For most of us, our next stop is college. For others, marriage and families are in the near future. But wherever life takes you, always know that you have a home here at this school and a place in my heart- a place in everyone's hearts. As you leave this school today, remember dearly the memories and people that high school has brought your way. These are the memories and people who have left permanent marks on you. These are the memories and people to carry with you throughout your entire lives. Congratulations, Class of 2008, on a job well done!"_

7:30pm

_It was hard for me to believe that I was officially a high school graduate. It was even harder for me to believe that I had become a mother to my baby sister only a few short hours ago. I looked down lovingly at the tiny baby in my arms. She was my life now, my everything. I kissed her forehead. "I promised Mama that I would take care of you Gracie. I love you so much." I laid her in her crib and left the room, closing the door quietly behind me. Little did I know that that would be the last time I would see Grace for who knows how long…_

11:30pm

_My fingers were shaking as I dialed the numbers. 9-1-1. My sobs were uncontrollable as I waited for someone to answer. As soon as the woman had requested my state of emergency, I managed to say, "My baby sister is gone, I'm all alone."

* * *

_This is going to be different from any of my other stories in the sense that it will be a bit darker. I hope you enjoyed the introduction! I know it ended a bit suddenly, but since it contained a flashback, I decided to save the present day for the first chapter. Please review, and remember to be nice. ;)


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